Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
May 5, 2016/in Fiction 10-14 Middle/Secondary /by Angie Hill
BfK Rating:
BfK 218 May 2016
Reviewer: Lynne Taylor
ISBN: 978-1447263036
Price: £6.99
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Genre: Fiction
Age Range: 10-14 Middle/Secondary
Length: 400pp
Buy the Book

The House on Hummingbird Island

Author: Sam Angus

If you want a book to take you to a different world, full of exotic animals and strange mysteries and secrets, this is the book for you.  The story follows Idie, from the time when she sets off to a new home on a Caribbean island at twelve years old, to the end of the First World War, when she is seventeen.  Idie has never known her mother or father. As a baby, she was taken to live with her relatives in Devon and brought up alongside her cousins Myles and Benedict.  A strong and feisty character, brought up to believe in herself, Idie has to learn to cope on her own when she is sent away to Hummingbird Island to be mistress of a grand house. Here she finds many mysteries to unravel, and she has to be resilient and determined as she keeps looking for the truth.

The novel is packed with wonderfully imagined characters, as well as a menagerie of animals with real personalities, who are allowed to live in the house.   It is beautifully written, with a rich vocabulary to match the colour and vibrance of the Caribbean island.  It also tells the story of the British West Indies Regiment, who fought in World War I alongside British troops, and yet were treated with discrimination.  It’s a classic book for older readers, with adventure, humour, poignancy and romance.   The language is challenging for younger readers, but the themes aren’t too adult for them to access.  The story contains lots of themes: the loss of childhood innocence, heroism, betrayal, the effects of war on soldiers and the people left behind, and the history of the sugar cane plantations in the Caribbean.  It’s a rich, imaginative book with lots to enjoy and lots to discuss with fellow readers.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Angie Hill http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Angie Hill2016-05-05 18:46:002021-07-04 17:47:50The House on Hummingbird Island

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue Bfk 272 May 2025
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Choice and reading relevant to their interests = reading for pleasure

June 11, 2025

Ross Montgomery wins the 2025 FCBG Children’s Book Award

June 7, 2025

Michael Rosen and Emily Gravett IBBY UK nominations for Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2026

June 4, 2025

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2025 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
Everybody Feels . . . Sad The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily
Scroll to top